What Would I Be Without You
by vikinglover elle
Summary: Sookie can't handle the lifestyle that comes with dating a rich, handsome celebrity. She goes home to figure out what to do. Will she go back to him or will the comforts of home make her forget all about Eric Northman? AH/AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. The are the property and creation of the wonderful Charlaine Harris. **

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"Are you mad at me?"

"No!"

"Then why are you walking so fast? Sookie! Slow down, please."

I yell back at him as I start to jog away, "I figured I'd put some distance between us so that you can have the room you need to cater to your adoring fans."

"Sookie!" He gets close enough to grab my arm and turns me to face him. I drop my head to hide the tears forming in my eyes.

"You know its not like that. It's just my job. These people, none of this means anything to me. You are what matters."

"Yeah, well I don't feel like I fit into your life anymore. I feel like maybe it's time for me to go home. I'm thinking of going back to Louisiana, Eric."

"Sookie, please don't do this. Please don't leave."

"I have to Eric. It's the only way I'll have any semblance of sanity. These past few months have been difficult for me. I've been trying to cope but I can't deal with this anymore. I thought I was strong enough to handle your lifestyle. I'm not. I don't want to be here anymore. I love you but I just can't."

"Can't what?"

"I can't compete. I'm a small town girl and I can't compete with these city women. They're beautiful, much more beautiful than I'll ever be. I don't know why you even bother with me."

"Now you're being ridiculous. I'm in love with you. Don't you know that, can't you see that?"

"I know, I do. I just…"

"Sookie, is there nothing I can do, nothing I can say to convince you to stay with me? I love you."

"I love you too Eric, and I want to be with you, just not like this." I finally look up at him and am ashamed of myself. His dark blue eyes plead with me, _"don't break my heart." _I turn away as the tears I fought so hard to hold back fall down my face.

"Let's go back to my place and talk about this." Eric steps closer to me, placing a finger under my chin, tilting my face up to his. He leans down enough that our foreheads touch.

He wipes away my tears with his thumb, tracing their fading path down my cheek. I'm about to agree to go home with him when three girls run up to us, waving autograph books frantically at him. He mouths, _sorry_, to me as they surround him, jumping up and down, grabbing at his arms. I step away, shaking my head, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. I have no such luck.

This is exactly the problem I'm having being with Eric. I can't deal with the horde of girls, women, and men who vie for his attention. He can't ignore his fans because they are the foundation for his career. I get it, I do but I don't have to like it. I'm not being selfish; its just that I want him. The Eric I grew up with in Bon Temps. The Eric I fell in love with all those years ago. He's still the same Eric but everyone else wants a piece of him. I just want him.

"I'll see you back at the apartment. I'm going to get a cab." I can't be sure if he heard me and I don't really care. I am too far gone into my personal pity party and I just want to go home.

"Sookie, wait!"

I run to the other side of the street and hail a cab. I don't bother looking back as I know Eric is still surrounded by those screaming girls. Ugh! The cab pulls away just as Eric is freed from his bevy of fans.

As soon as I reach Eric's apartment, I grab my little suitcase and throw all of my things into it. I scribble a note on a piece of paper I find on the coffee table and make my way to the airport.

The flight to Shreveport is uneventful. I turned off my cell so that I wouldn't get any calls from Eric. I'm sure he's called because it's what I would do. Once I claim my luggage, I use a payphone to call my brother Jason. I know he's always around and can give me a ride to Bon Temps.

Gran will be surprised to see me home so soon. I didn't think I'd be coming back to Bon Temps at all. I had the feeling that Eric was going to propose to me and knowing that, knowing the way I felt about everything, I couldn't stay in LA. It wouldn't be fair to either of us.

So why do I feel like shit? Because I'm an insecure mess. I miss Eric already. It's only been a few hours and my body craves his touch. I miss the warmth from his hands caressing my hips, his fingers ghosting across the small of my back when we cuddle. I didn't even kiss him goodbye. I ran like the coward that I am and now I'm miserable.

I see my brother walking toward me with a goofy grin on his face.

"Well lookie here. My sister's come back from the big city. How you doing girl?"

"Hey Jase. I'm not doing so great."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"I left Eric."

"WHAT? Did he do something to you Sook? I need to make a trip to LA with Sam and Alcide? 'Cause you know we got your back." I love my big brother. Automatically he assumes its ass-kicking time. I laugh, smacking him on the shoulder.

"No, no. He didn't do anything. It's all me. I couldn't handle his celebrity status. He's famous now and is known all over the world. We can't go anywhere without someone wanting an autograph or a picture. I mean, I love him but I didn't think it was fair for me to try and compete for his attention. Why I'm telling you all this I don't know but, thanks for listening."

"Hey, I get it. You're just not used to the way his life is now. But Sook, you know none of that shit matters. As long as he treats you good and loves you, everything else will work itself out. You don't have to compete for his love. His fans don't love him in the way that counts. You do."

"It's not that simple Jason. I wish it were but…"

"No buts. You running away from your problems only makes things worse. They'll still be there when you go back to him. You are going back to him?"

"I don't know. I love him but I can't be with him. Do you know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean but again, I'm sure you can work something out. Go places where nobody knows him, stay in, or just ignore what's going on around you. I've seen the way he is with you Sook. He doesn't pay attention to anyone or anything else when you're in the room. It can't be all bad. You need to call him and talk to him. Now, I've said my piece. You're a big girl and I know you can handle it. Just don't take too long cause Eric's a good guy and you don't want to lose him over something so insignificant."

"It's not insignificant to me, but I do appreciate the words of wisdom from my goofy big brother, who's probably never had a girlfriend for longer than two weeks. Thanks Jase." I knew he was right but I wasn't going to admit that to him.

"Anytime. You're my baby sister and I'll always be here for you. So, come on. Let's get you home. Gran sure will be excited to see ya." He gives me a much needed hug and I relax a little.

The rest of the ride home Jason tells me all about Hoyt and his girlfriend Jessica finally 'going all the way'. He's such a kid. Like I really care about any of his friends' sex lives. Granted, Hoyt is my age, still living at home with his momma, and a virgin-well used to be a virgin. I'm not really one to talk though. I lost my virginity to Eric about a year ago. I always knew he was the one but I was terrified to take that next step with him. His penis scared me half to death. I'd never seen one as big as his and I just…

I can laugh about it now but I wasn't laughing so much the first time I saw him naked. I was speechless. We were at a friend's house for a pool party our senior year of high school. I'd walked in on him as he was changing out of his swim trunks. I wanted to ask him how he walked around with an extra arm between his legs, but thought better of it. Yeah…he was that big.

Thinking back on that embarrassing time makes me think about how sexy Eric is and I get a tingling sensation in my nether regions. He has _the most _perfect body, which everyone sees once a week on my favorite television show, _If Looks Could Kill_. The writers must have a thing for Eric too, as he's almost always shirtless in every scene.

_Why did I leave him again? _

I sigh thinking about his warm body pressed against mine, the thrumming of his heart under my ear as we lay together in bed, running my fingers through his shoulder length hair. It's times like this when I wish that we could just go back to the way things used to be. Before his show became a big hit, before every director wanted him to star in their next film, before he was recognized by every passerby on the street.

I was always in love with Eric and it seems he was with me. We just didn't know it until we ran into each other last year. I hadn't seen him in at least two years since he'd moved to LA. It was as if he'd never left Bon Temps…

"_Well if it isn't Miss Sookie Stackhouse. Wow, you look amazing." He pulled in me for a hug. He smelled so good. I didn't want to let him go. I almost forgot how good he looked in person. Television did not do him justice._

"_Thanks Eric, so do you. But I'm sure you already knew that; you don't need me to tell you."_

"_Nonsense. I like hearing it from you because __yours__ is the only opinion that matters to me." _

"_You're just being sweet. I'm nothing special." I batted my eyelashes like a loon. I was so caught off guard that I'm surprised I wasn't squealing like a school girl. At that point he could have asked me to do anything and I would have said yes._

"_Well then you don't see yourself the way I do."_

He asked me out to dinner and we had a really great time catching up. He told me about a movie he'd just finished and that it'd be out in theatres soon. He wanted me to accompany him to the movie's premiere. Of course, I said I would go. How could I pass that up? I wanted to spend as much time with Eric as I could. It didn't matter to me what we did as long as we were together. I didn't know how long he'd be around and I didn't want to miss out on anything.

We had to fly to New York City for the premiere. It was a wonderful night and nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. There were photographers, reporters, screaming fans and publicists, but Eric made me feel like I was the only person there.

He took me back to his condo, which his parents left to him when they moved back to Sweden. I took a brief moment to look around while Eric went to flip on the lights. The place was impeccably decorated and huge.

The wall-to-wall carpet in the living room was the plushest carpet I'd ever set foot on. Dark hardwood floors stretched the length of the hall back toward what I assumed were the bedrooms. I snuck a glance into the kitchen, which looked like it was built for a professional chef. Everything was in immaculate condition. You could tell no one lived there or if they did, they didn't cook.

I was nervous as I'd never been in that situation before-alone with a guy that I loved. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. My libido was doing back flips after having seen the love scene in his movie. I had no idea how sexy Eric could look while making love.

He had just walked back into the living room when he turned to me, taking both of my hands in his and squeezing them tightly. He was nervous.

"Sookie Stackhouse, I'm in love with you. I have been since the first moment I laid eyes on you. Do you remember that?" I nodded. "We were both ten years old. I'd just moved into the neighborhood and your Gran had invited my family over for dinner. I sat across from you and couldn't take my eyes off you. I didn't know it then but I know now that you are and always will be the love of my life."

He leaned closer to me, taking my face in his large hands, running his thumb across my lips. I was so stunned by his revelation that I just nodded and gulped for air.

"I love you too, Eric Northman. I think I've always known it. Why did we wait so long to tell one another again?" He laughed a laugh that always calmed me and brushed his lips across mine. I groaned at the loss when he pulled back to look into my eyes.

"I don't know but I'd rather we not waste another minute. I want to make love to you."

He pulled me close, squeezing me for a brief moment before claiming my mouth in one long, hard, passionate kiss. His hands trailed down my sides to my hips. He reached around, caressing and massaging my ass, causing me to moan into his mouth. It must have driven him crazy because he'd lifted me up, wrapped my legs around his waist, and backed us into the nearest wall.

His erection ground up against my center, sending a tingle down to my toes. My body was yearning to be touched by him in every way possible. His hands slid up my thighs, to my hips. His fingers tugged at my panties hastily. A rush of cool air smacked my bottom as Eric ripped the tiny garment from my body.

I could feel his thick, warm fingers searching out my core. They glided through my folds down to the heat escaping my sex. Eric plunged one, then another finger into me. He pumped them in and out of my center while simultaneously flicking my nub with his thumb.

My hips had a mind of their own and bucked wildly against him. My movements drove his fingers deeper into me, causing me to cry out in pleasure. It didn't take long for an increasing pressure to build in my abdomen and branch out through to my limbs. I arched my back and screamed out in delight as I'd just experienced my first orgasm. I wanted more.

"More, Eric, please…" I begged. He made a trail of open mouthed kisses down my jaw, to my neck. He stopped and sucked at the delicate skin there before moving on to my breasts. He bit at my nipple through the fabric of my dress and bra. The moist heat from his mouth madethe tiny bud perk up at his attentions.

He kept one hand on my hip while the other massaged my left breast. His tongue continued teasing and flicking the nipple of my right breast. He had me so on-edge; I was ready to be pushed over.

My hands threaded through his hair, pulling on the strands gently as he worked my breasts with his talented fingers and tongue. My thighs squeezed against his hips tightly, as he walked us to his bedroom. He laid me on the bed before he placed himself between my legs.

Resting on his forearms he continued his assault on my breasts, working his way up to my neck. He sucked and nibbled and licked my throat down to the valley between my breasts, and back up again. He feathered kisses all along my jaw line before gazing into my eyes. He wanted my attention and he had it.

He pulled away to remove his clothing. I lay there watching him, my mouth agape. I may have drooled once he removed his shirt. He was absolutely mouth-watering. His broad shoulders rolled as he pulled his shirt down his toned arms. My eyes traveled the length of his torso admiring every dip, ripple and contour of his well defined abs. I licked my lips in anticipation.

He slid his hands down to his belt slowly, teasing me with the movement of his hips. They swayed back and forth a little as he pulled on his belt, unbuckling the snap of his pants and pushing them down his legs. He was wearing boxer briefs that fit so snugly I could see the result of our previous fooling around. My eyes bugged out of my head at the size, width and girth of his burgeoning member as he removed his underwear.

It would be my first time and I knew it would hurt. But I was willing with Eric and that made it all the more special. The glimpse I'd caught of Eric naked before was nothing compared to what I saw that night. He'd definitely grown since high school.

Once completely naked, he crawled up my body, pushing my dress up to my waist, then over my head. I was nervous and told him so. He calmed me by telling me we'd take it slow and that he wouldn't hurt me. I snorted because I thought he didn't realize just how big his dick was. I trusted Eric though, and felt myself relax at his words.

He stopped for a moment, looking to his bedside table. When I realized what he was looking for, I told him that I was on the pill so we didn't have to worry about condoms, unless he was sexually active with someone else.

To my surprise, he told me he hadn't been with anyone in over a year. I audibly gasped at his words, covering my mouth in shock. He roared with laughter, throwing his head back, his long blonde hair washing over his shoulders in waves, exposing his beautiful neck to me. I sat up to run my tongue along his throat, over his Adam's apple, up to the dimple in his chin. I bit a little, relishing in his moans as I teased his nipples with my fingers. He moved to place his tip at my entrance and I froze.

"Relax älskare, look at me and relax." His husky voice eased my trepidations.

He shifted his hips entering me slowly, stopping briefly to allow me to adjust to his size. I was a little uncomfortable at first, but enjoyed the sensation of him filling me. I felt whole, complete once we were connected. My walls clenched down on him and he trembled. He began to rock his hips back and forth slowly. He pulled out most of the way before easing back in. I liked the tempo but was ready for more.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and he managed to go deeper. We both moaned, moving together in an easy rhythm. I dug my heels into Eric's ass, forcing him to move faster, harder. He sped up his thrusts in time with my bucking hips. The sound of our bodies colliding filled the room. His groans and grunts made me crazy and I wanted him to move even faster.

The thought of me giving him pleasure drove my hips to move faster against him. The combination of our movements put me closer and closer to reaching my release. I came harder than I thought I ever could. Eric continued moving inside of me until he screamed out my name, his hips jerking wildly as he rode out the aftershocks of his orgasm. We cuddled together in post coital bliss for a few moments until he was ready to go again. It was definitely a good night.

We were so lost in one another that we were oblivious to the outside world. Eric made love to me like a man on a mission. He taught me many things that night, one of them being he could make me come with a flick of his tongue as well as his finger.

After that night we were inseparable. I moved out to LA to be closer to him. I hadn't planned on staying as long as I did but he always knew what to say to convince me to stay just one more month. It didn't take much to persuade me. I wanted to stay with Eric. He was my world and I was his.

His publicist Pam was a bit of an annoyance but she was only doing her job. We'd actually become really good friends. Now his assistant, Felicia, I had a serious problem with her. She was always so bitchy toward me. I had no idea why. I asked Eric about it one night as I'd had enough of her attitude.

"Eric, I know that you need her and she's been with you so long that she knows you inside and out but Felicia rubs me the wrong way."

"What's happened now?" This wasn't the first time I'd brought it up.

"She doesn't like me. I'm not sure why but she looks at me as if she wants to smash my face in. You two were never involved, right?"

"No Sookie, how could you ask me that?"

"Well, I wasn't sure. I thought, maybe she'd had a thing for you or something and you blew her off. Maybe she's pissed at me because I'm with you."

"I don't know if she has feelings for me or not but you know I've only loved you. You know that."

"Of course, I know that but, you are a man. You've had sex before me so I know you've…"

"Sookie, you have nothing to worry about as far as Felicia is concerned. I will talk to her and make sure she knows to show you the same respect she shows me."

"I appreciate that and I'm sorry for mentioning it again, but I don't want there to be any issues between us."

"Hey, don't be sorry. You can mention, bring up, or discuss whatever with me. I want us to be able to talk to one another and resolve any issues that may come up."

"Here's the thing, if Felicia doesn't change her attitude toward me, I don't know where that will leave us. You're not going to get rid of her. You can't and I understand that. I just want you to know that if she continues to be a bitch to me I'm going to avoid her. And that may mean missing some of your events and…"

"No, I won't allow that. I'll get rid of her before I let her come between us. You mean more to me than my assistant Sookie. Don't sell yourself short. Felicia doesn't make or break my career."

"But she's been your assistant for a while now. She knows things about you that she could use against you."

"And I'd take care of it. Don't worry about me. Besides, I have nothing to hide. No secrets."

"If you say so."

"Now, why don't you come here and show me how much you love me, my petit chou."

I did love it when he pulled out the French. Eric is the only man I know that can speak multiple languages but only chooses to do so during sex. He's said so many things to me in Swedish, French, even Spanish that I've tried to get him to repeat in English. He would laugh and tell me that he'd teach me one day. I doubted it because it would ruin his fun.

We were happy and I knew that he loved me more than anything.

So that brings me back here to Bon Temps, pulling up to my childhood home, without the love of my life. Jason has been prattling on about who knows what for the past forty minutes. Sometimes he gets so excited about whatever he's talking about he doesn't notice when you've tuned him out. I've gotten pretty good at it. I'm not really into sports and being his only sibling, the sports talks would fall on my ears. I'm so glad he has friends now. I chuckle to myself and Jason looks over at me. I shake my head and move to get out of the truck.

Gran appears at the door with open arms and I run straight into her embrace. She holds me so tightly I can't breathe, but I don't say a word. I love Gran's hugs. They always make me feel better and I need that right now. A lone tear slips down my cheek and I discreetly brush it away with my thumb.

"Well let me get a look at my special girl. Oh Sookie you look wonderful. You're nicely tanned; you been getting a lot of sun out there in California?"

"Yes, Gran. Lots of sun. Eric's apartment is just off the beach. We'd go there just about every day."

"Oh, I see. So where is he? Didn't he come with you dear?" _Oh boy_…

"Um, no Gran, it's just me. I kind of needed to come back home. Get myself grounded in reality for a bit."

"Trouble? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"You sound just like Jason. No Gran, Eric didn't do anything to hurt me. I just needed a break and decided to come home. So, what's cooking? It sure does smell good in there."

"You are in for a treat. Come on in and set your bags down. We can talk some more over dinner."

I always know how to change the subject with Gran. I talk about food or her stories (those horrid soap operas she watches). Gets her every time. As I place my bags down in the living room, I think about calling Eric. Jason's booming voice shakes me from my thoughts and I shrug it off. I'm here to forget about him and calling him won't do me any good.

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A/N: Trying something new here. Let me know what you think. Thanks to my beta **hearttorn** for helping me get this in order. I bugged her quite a bit. Love you lovie! xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

Eric POV

"_Sookie, wait!"_

I run to the cab just before it pulls off and watch my Sookie drive away. I call after her but she doesn't respond at all. Maybe she can't hear me. I am again, surrounded by the girls who caused my love to run away. I know she has a tendency to avoid conflict but this is just too much. She doesn't even turn around to see if I'm chasing after her. As far as she knows I'm still surrounded by my fans not caring if she's around or not. She couldn't be further from the truth. I think to call her but I'm not sure if she'll answer. I pull out my cell with purpose, and then I remember where I am. I need to get away from this screaming horde of women so that I can l figure out how to get Sookie back.

I walk toward my car, quickly unlock the door and slide into the driver's seat just before a series of flashbulbs go off, blinding me. Where did the cameras come from so fast? I hold my hand in front of my eyes so that I can see. I look up and am face to face with the same damned girls who'd just tracked me down for an autograph. They were now snapping away at me through my windshield and all I can think about is Sookie. I now understand why she was so upset earlier. Her words cut through me like a knife. _"I thought I was strong enough to handle your lifestyle. I'm not. I don't want to be here anymore. I love you but I just can't."_ I always try my hardest to shield her from my celebrity status, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I pull out of my parking space just in time to avoid the paparazzi that were circling my car like buzzards.

As soon as I reach the safety of home I call out to Sookie. She doesn't answer and I freeze. She could be anywhere by now. I rush to our bedroom to see if maybe she's lying in bed. To my disappointment, she isn't there. She said that she would meet me back here. Did she change her mind? If she decided to go somewhere else, why not call and let me know? Our conversation pops back into my mind as I stare at the empty bedroom. She was upset but I didn't think she was serious. _"I feel like maybe it's time for me to go home. I'm thinking of going back to Louisiana, Eric." _Now I'm worried. She wouldn't have gone home without telling me first, would she?

Trying not to think of the worst case scenario, I sit down on the edge of my bed to collect my thoughts. She hasn't quite gotten used to traveling in LA and she has no sense of direction. Maybe she told the cab driver to drive around for a while. I pull out my cell and dial her number. No answer. She could have gone out for a walk. I laugh to myself as I remember how she got lost here in my building. She was in the laundry room and got turned around and couldn't find the apartment. I can laugh about it now but then, she was terrified and embarrassed.

I try calling her cell again, but there's no answer. She must have turned it off. Why would she do that? Now I'm paranoid and begin to think she's avoiding me. I start to panic and can't figure out who else I can call. Someone has to know where she is. I don't want to call Gran and worry her for nothing. But, I keep telling myself she wouldn't just leave with no word. A light bulb goes off and I rush out to the living room and scour every flat surface within my reach for something that will let me know where she is. I finally come across a small slip of paper on the coffee table. She left a note.

_Eric,_

_I don't belong here. I love you but I'm just not strong enough to share you with the rest of the world. I hope you can forgive me one day._

_Love always,_

_Sookie_

A sound pierces the quiet in my lonely apartment. I could swear it was someone screaming, almost a guttural roar. Then I realize the sound is coming from me. In all of my frustration I just let go and yell. She's ripped my heart from my chest, stomped on it and thrown it away with her words. _She doesn't belong here; she's not strong enough–she hopes I can forgive her?_

I can't even think straight. I'm so pissed and hurt that she would just leave like this. At least I think I know where she's gone. Sookie wouldn't go anywhere but home to Bon Temps. She's said as much tonight, anyway. That's her safe haven, her true comfort. Home is where her heart is because it sure as hell isn't here with me. Maybe this is a good thing. We can use the space. She'll see; she'll realize that she misses me and will come back. Man do I want her back. I give up calling her again and lay in bed reading her note over and over again. I now have it memorized and each time I think about those cursed words, a little more of my heart dies. I eventually fall asleep sometime during the night, clutching the tiny piece of paper in my hand to the empty place where my heart used to be.

Pam calls me bright and early the next morning for a photo shoot. Damn it to hell! This is so not what I need today. I want to stay home and wallow in my pity. I caved and called Sookie every time I thought about her last night but she still hasn't returned any of my messages. I know she has to be thinking about me. As much as I'm thinking of her she has to feel it, she has to sense it. I used to be able to say I love you to her and she'd yield and wouldn't leave. Or I'd mumble something to her in French and her clothes would melt away. Now, I tell her how much I love her and she walks away from me? I beg her not to break my heart and she runs? I tell her how much I need her and she tells me she can't handle my career. Would she be happier if I was like any other Joe Schmoe? I didn't think we would ever have this issue come up so early on in our relationship.

I can't make her love me any more than she already does. I want her to _want_ to be with me. I want her to want me on her terms, not mine. I would do anything to make her happy. She is my world and I am hers. So why isn't she here with me?

Shouldn't my utter devotion to her happiness make her see how much she means to me? I wish I could talk to her and ask her these things. I really need to know if there is anything I can do to fix us. Maybe I should go to Bon Temps. Then I remember that I can't. Pam would kill me because I have a new movie which starts shooting in two days and I'm already contracted to do it. But if I could get back before then… that could actually work. I call Felicia and get her to book me a flight out after my photo shoot. I just hope that when I get to Bon Temps, Sookie will actually want to talk to me.

"Pam, I need to go home."

"Okay, you can go home once you're finished up here."

"No, I mean home, home. To Bon Temps."

"Fuck, Eric! Have you forgotten that you have a movie to start shooting in a couple of days? You know Sophie Ann won't like this. As a matter of fact, I think I'll call her now."

"You will do no such thing, Pamela. I'll be back in plenty of time. I need to go. Sookie." I can't even finish my sentence.

"This is all over women trouble? Look, I get that you love Sookie but you have to think about what you're doing here. You moved here for your career. She moved here to be with you. What's the problem?"

"She can't handle it, Pam."

"Then that's her fucking problem. She needs to grow a pair and support you. Doesn't she know how much stress you're under? She's being selfish and I'd be more than happy to tell her for you–"

"You might want to walk away now. Seriously." She shrugs and walks off. But not before giving me a death glare. I love Pam, but sometimes she needs to be put in her place. She's getting too big for her britches lately and I have to remind her, she doesn't run my career.

Pam is pissed now, but she'll get over it. She can't stay mad at me for long. My only worry is Sophie Ann. She's a great manager but she can be a real bitch when she doesn't get her way. I know there's some major ass kissing in my future and I'd better get started as soon as I get back. I have to make sure things with Sookie are okay or else I won't be able to work. I sit back into my chair getting my makeup touched up and wonder if Sookie is thinking about me at all. She didn't even call to let me know she'd made it home safely and that is so unlike her. I was so worried about her last night, I didn't know what to do. I could call the house and maybe Gran would talk to me. She's always liked me.

I can't stop thinking about Sookie once I get home and as I sit down to pack my bags I stop dead in my tracks. I am so hurt and feel so sorry for myself that I decide to do something stupid. I go to my freezer, retrieve my nicely chilled bottle of vodka and drown my sorrows. Shot after shot of the smooth, thick liquid washes down my throat. I start to feel a slow buzz build and my body eases into relaxation. After half of the bottle's gone, I pick up my phone and dial Sookie's number. It takes a few tries but I finally get it right and I leave her several messages.

_Sook, it's me. Pleeeease call me back. You left me a note, a fucking note on my coffee table and that was it? Do I not deserve better? You could have called me *hiccup* to let me know you, where you are. I'm worrying over you and now I just…_ _S'il vous plaît, appelez-moi mon amour. I need you._

I take a few more shots.

_Sookie det här är Eric. Where are you? Why won't you call me back? What have I done that was so bad you can't return my calls? Do you want me to come after you? Är allt det här ett spel? Are you happy to make me look foolish? It's working. I'm here drinking myself into oblivion and I can't hate you. Jag vill men jag kan inte. I love you so much. Please my lover, come back to me._

Something snaps in me and I sober up. My anger surges through me and I can't stop the words from leaving my lips.

_I won't call again. It's obvious you're not interested in talking to me. I can't do this anymore Sookie. Fuck!_

I finish off the rest of the fucking bottle. What do I have to lose?

_Jag kan inte leva utan dig. Jag behöver dig mer än något annat. Jag vill ha dig. Jag saknar dig._ _Jag älskar dig._

I wasn't entirely sure if most of my messages were in English or not but I didn't give a shit. If she wants to she can call me. She's being so unreasonable right now. I mean, what does she want from me? I've given her all of me repeatedly and she still wants more. I have nothing left to give. _My life is shit without her_. I don't even want to wake up tomorrow knowing that she won't be here. I've never been depressed before but this shit is depressing. I can't help but to think back to happier days.

As a kid growing up in Sweden things were great and I couldn't have been happier. It wasn't until my father got a business opportunity in Shreveport that we needed to move. I fought it and so did my mother, but eventually my father reasoned with us and off we went to Bon Temps. Why we didn't live in Shreveport, I don't know? My father had funny ways about him and my mother and I just went along with whatever he had planned, as we had no choice.

When I first met Sookie I knew that I wanted her to be mine. It just so happened that I was too afraid to say anything and we were both so young. I was the new kid in town and didn't have any friends. Gran was kind enough to invite my family over for dinner our second night in Bon Temps. Gran was always going out of her way to make me feel comfortable from the first day we met. I will never forget how I felt sitting across from Sookie at dinner. I think she may have caught me staring at her but she stuck her tongue out at me and paid me no attention. I was hooked. That was just the beginning.

High school was difficult when it came to Sookie. I was part of the popular crowd because I was into sports and she was more of a loner. I didn't know why Sookie kept to herself but I'd rarely see her at any of the parties I went to. I guess when you run in different circles it was easy to avoid one another. But that didn't mean that I had stopped noticing Sookie.

There was one party in particular she came to. I was surprised to see her until I realized why she was there. She was supposed to be dating Bill Compton at the time and I didn't want to step on his toes. We were friends but not the best of friends. I kind of thought he was a douche but I wouldn't tell her that. I tried to make sure Sookie was included in things but she always seemed to shy away. If Bill wasn't going, neither was she. I wanted to ask her about them but Bill assured me he was "hitting that." His words, not mine.

We were at the Compton House which is directly across the road from her Gran's farmhouse. There's a creepy old cemetery that seperates the two homes creating the illusion of two worlds. The Compton house was newly updated with fresh paint, new shingles on the roof, whereas the old Stackhouse place remained frozen in time from the days it was built in the early 1900's. I was changing in one of the spare bedrooms when I'd heard the door creak open. I turned quickly and caught Sookie running off before she closed the door. She must have been embarrassed because I was naked. Being naked didn't bother me but I didn't want to say anything to bring it to her attention. I caught her staring at me a few times after that but shrugged it off.

My hopes to get to know Sookie better were crushed but we remained friends. I felt like I should keep my distance because I knew that I didn't just want to be friends with her. I always thought she had feelings for me too but if she did, why would she have been with Bill?

After high school, we went our separate ways. I attended NYU in New York and Sookie went to Tulane University in New Orleans. Of course, that's where Bill went to school and I just assumed she'd followed him there. I was wrong. I found out during my first visit home over Christmas break that Sookie had never dated Bill. He lied about their entire relationship. They were friends, but nothing more. In fact, he followed her to Tulane and made her first semester of school hell. I didn't get all of the details but I'd heard it was pretty bad. She eventually transferred to LSU Shreveport. She wanted to be closer to home in case she needed her family. Namely her brother, Jason. She sort of shied away from dating after that and I knew I'd missed my opportunity again.

I dated a few girls while at school but none of them were Sookie. I wanted so much to tell her that I wanted to be more than friends but I didn't want to push her before she was ready. I spent a lot of my days walking around Central Park just thinking about what I would do if Sookie were mine. She's the reason I am where I am today. Literally. Walking through the park I'd bumped into a modeling scout and was offered a chance to start a career in modeling. I hadn't declared a major so I figured I had nothing to lose. My career skyrocketed quickly and now I find myself overwhelmed by fans when I go out for a stroll with my girlfriend.

I can't really complain because I'm doing what I love but it seems to be at the expense of Sookie's happiness. Her happiness means more to me than all of the everyday things in my life. She's all that I need. I've got more than enough money and other material bullshit but I can do without it. I need her and I'll do anything in my power to get her to see that. I'd have to talk to Pam about getting out of my _If Looks Could Kill_ contract. The season is coming to a close so it shouldn't be too difficult if I chose not to renew it. I can't say that I won't miss playing a secret agent who seduces beautiful women to get information. It's a dream job. I get to live out every male's fantasy and get paid for it. I do have to work out a little extra since I'm practically naked every episode but that's not a hardship.

First things first, I need get up and stop feeling so sorry for myself. I need coffee and a shower. Once I've done that I finish packing my bag and call a cab. I have a plane to catch.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for still having an interest in this story. It just wasn't coming to me no matter what I did but now… Big thank you to my lovely reader **frlarsson** for her help with the Swedish translations. She's awesome! Thanks so much Linda! I have to give a special shout to **Suaru-chan** for her help with this chapter. She gets big, drunken Eric kisses. Thanks love!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I won't know unless you leave a review. xoxo

Translations:

_S'il vous plaît, appelez-moi mon amour_ - Please call me back my love.

_Sookie det här är Eric_ - Sookie this is Eric.

_Är allt det här ett spel_ - Is this all a game?

_Jag vill men jag kan inte_ - I want to but I can't.

_Jag kan inte leva utan dig. Jag behöver dig mer än något annat. Jag vill ha dig. Jag saknar dig._ _Jag älskar dig. - _I can't live without you. I need you more than anything. I want you. I miss you. I love you.


	3. Chapter 3

Sookie POV

"Get your sorry ass out of bed and get dressed. We're going out tonight." _Ugh, go away Jase_. "Come on now Sookie, I mean it. No more moping. Gran won't say anything to you about it but I sure am. You're a grown woman and you can't go moping around because of some dude. Besides, _you _left _him,_ didn't you? You don't get to mope when you do the leaving. Now get up!"

I glance up at Jason, wanting to rip his head off a) for waking me up and b) for being right. I don't need to mope. _I_ left him. _I_ couldn't handle his lifestyle. He didn't do anything but live his life as normally as he could with me in it. But I can't handle it so here I am. At my Gran's house, lying around in the same clothes I arrived in. I haven't gotten out of bed for two days. Two damned days and I don't feel like getting up now. I need to move on. What? I don't mean that. I don't want to move on from Eric. I love Eric. I want Eric, but we can't be together until something changes. What that something is, I don't know yet.

"Jason, I love you but if you ever–" My speech is cut off by my scream. Jason pulls the sheet off my bed, which I just so happened to be wrapped in. I hit the floor with a thud and hopped up as quickly as I could to give chase. I didn't think he'd stick around after pulling a stunt like that. He whipped out of the room so fast I hadn't noticed Gran was in the hall.

"What in the world? Jason Stackhouse, why are you flying through my house like a maniac? Sookie?" Jason whirls around and makes his way over to Gran.

"Sorry Gran."

"I'm sorry Gran. Jason pulled me out of bed." I mouthed to him that this wasn't over yet. He was standing behind Gran, hiding. He knew I wouldn't go after him with her in the way.

"Well, that's partially my fault sweetheart. I asked him to get you up. I didn't mean for you to hurt your sister Jason! Are you okay dear?" She swatted at his arm with the dishtowel she was holding. I had to laugh at him jumping to get out of her way. Gran had excellent aim.

"I'll be fine Gran. My butt may be a bit sore but other than that…"

"Good, how about some dinner?"

"Dinner? Have I been in bed that long?"

"All day Sook. I told you, you are a sad, moping individual. You can't let one little hiccup get you down. We'll go out, have a little fun and then you can go back to moping tomorrow should you decide that's what you want to do."

"Then no dinner for you two. You should head to Merlotte's. I know Sam would be happy to see you Sookie. When's the last time you two talked?"

"Oh, I don't know Gran. Maybe a few months back. I wouldn't mind seeing Sam and a few other people. Hey, is Tara Thornton still in town?"

"Yeah, she should be. She got married to JB last month. Oh shit!"

"Jason Stackhouse, you watch your mouth. I know I raised you better, young man."

"Sorry, Gran. Sook, I was supposed to let you know about the wedding. You might want to avoid Tara for a bit. She might want to rip you a new one."

"Thanks a lot Jase. Now I gotta worry about people gunning for me because of your screw-ups."

"Yup. Now go get dressed. I'm ready to go." Of course, Jason could go out in a paper bag and still be able to take a woman home. I don't know what it was about him but the ladies sure did flock to him like flies to shit.

"Give me twenty minutes."

I rush back to my room to shower and dress. Its Merlotte's so I won't be getting too fancied up. I pick out a cute navy blue sundress with tiny white and yellow daisies on it, my tan espadrille sandals and a pair of gold ball earrings. I slap on a little lip gloss and mascara after pulling my hair up into a banana clip and I'm ready to go. I do a little twirl in front of the floor length mirror on my bedroom door to make sure I look okay. I guess it'll have to do. I'm not looking forward to this anyway. I walk out into the living room and Gran looks like she's about to burst into tears.

"Oh honey, don't you look beautiful. Doesn't she look beautiful Jason?"

"She's all right. Come on girl. I'm starving and I told Hoyt to meet us there." Great. That means I'll have to watch Hoyt and Jessica drooling all over each other. Just what I needed.

"Really Jason, we couldn't just hang out together? Hoyt's your friend, not mine."

"Don't worry. Jess will be there too. She'll keep you company." And my fears are confirmed.

"Grab a sweater dear. It still gets chilly at night."

"Thanks Gran. I will." I run back to my room to grab my white cardigan because Gran won't let me out of the house without it. _Grandmothers_. "Let's go Jason before I change my mind."

"That's the right attitude, Sook. See, we'll have a great time now that you're so excited and pumped to have some fun!" I give him the evil eye and he shuts up. He knows I still owe him for that stunt from earlier.

We head out to his truck and I'm dreading the decision to go out already. I grab my purse from the table near the door on the way out and don't even want to glance at my cell phone. It's been off for two days now. I'm not sure if Eric's called me or not and I don't know how I feel about it. I want to talk to him, I want to tell him I miss him but I can't.

Again, I listen to Jason's tales of Bon Temps on the ride to Merlotte's. I swear he thinks I really care about the local gossip anymore to the point that I want to hear it every time we're alone. Maybe he can't talk to me or he's trying to avoid saying something he wants to tell me.

"Jason? Is there something on your mind?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, you keep talking my ear off about everyone and their mommas, and you've already told me most of this the other night. What's going on? You know you can tell me anything."

"Not this."

"Why not?"

"Because. Don't make me do it, Sook. You're my sister and I love you. I want to respect your decision so I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"Well, _now_ you have to tell me because I don't think I'll be able to have fun tonight if you're pissed at me."

"I'm not pissed I'm just… I don't understand why you're here. I'm not saying I'm not happy to see you, but really, Sook, is it that bad? You said Eric wasn't mistreating you and that you love him yet you could get up and leave so easily? Gran won't say nothing to you about it because she's trying to give you time to see right but I can't let you go on like this. I think you ought to know something too–" I hold up my hand to get him to stop talking.

"I think you've said enough for one night. Guess that's what I get for pressing you to tell me."

"I'm sorry, Sook. You know I don't want to hurt you or mean to sound harsh, but really…"

"Thank you, Jason. I think I got it. Don't worry about it." Thank God we don't have to be in this truck for a minute longer.

We pull into the parking lot at Merlotte's and I feel like I've been thrown back in time. I'm reminded of the night I saw Eric again after his going off to Hollywood. He'd just come back to visit for a bit and I'd caught him just before he was heading out. Man did he look good. He wore his hair half pulled back at the crown, with the other half hanging down on his shoulders. Kind of like Sawyer did on that one episode of _Lost_ when they were on the raft. Yeah, that one. I wanted to pull the rubber band out of his hair and run my fingers through it. Eric always had the softest, thickest hair I'd ever had the pleasure of touching. I was jealous that my hair didn't feel as nice. Oh, and the way it smelled. I had to find out what kind of shampoo he used. His hair smelled like a warm spring day. It wasn't flowery but it smelled fresh and just mmm…

I walked over to him at the bar; he stood up, and smiled down at me. _"Well if it isn't Miss Sookie Stackhouse. Wow, you look amazing." _I will never forget the way he made me feel when he said those words. I'd been dying for him to notice me and he finally did. And what did I do? I acted like an insecure geek. I'm glad I'd had a drink to calm my nerves. I so wanted to keep my cool and thought I'd blown it with him. But I didn't. We made small talk and of course that led to me going to NYC with him for his movie premiere. And the rest, as they say, is history. I just wonder if I hadn't seen him that night if I'd be where I am now. I mean I always had feelings for Eric, but what if I'd let him know sooner?

A horn snaps me back to my surroundings and I go to climb out of Jason's truck. My shoe gets snagged on a screw in the door jamb and I yank so hard on it to get free that I push the door all the way open and fall into a… wall? What the…?

"Hey Sookie! Fancy meeting you like this." My, my, my… the last person I thought I'd run into tonight.

"Yeah, um. Sorry. I think my shoe got stuck and I… hi, I'm fine."

"I can see that."

"Alcide, what you doing with your hands all over my sister?" Jason would make his presence known at the most convenient time.

Alcide Herveaux. My goodness, what can I say about the man? Dark tousled hair long enough to run your fingers through, the softest beard I've ever felt, beautiful green eyes, and his body is just, well… beautiful. _EricEricEricEric._ That's right Sookie, remember your boyfriend Eric, whom you love very much. Though he's not here right now that doesn't mean I need to act a fool because Alcide 'Hotness' Herveaux is holding me in his rock hard arms pressed against his broad chiseled chest being while talking to me through his flawless full pink lips blinding me with a megawatt smile of perfect white teeth. Did I mention his thighs? They were the size of a tree trunk and I'm sure that everything about him was just as well built and huge and muscular and huge and I'm rambling in my thoughts now. That's exactly what he does to me.

_Take a deep breath and step away from the hot guy, Sook_. The hot guy who is so eye-fucking me right now.

"Just helping out, Jason. Sookie almost had an accident and I was lucky enough to be here to catch her. You okay to stand Sookie?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Why couldn't I say anything other than that? Oh, because he's hot and my brain stopped working because of his hotness. _EricEricEricEricEric._

"Well, we best get in there. I know Hoyt's probably pissed we're late."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Before Jason could say no, I open my mouth and seal my fate.

"No, not at all. I'd like that, actually."

* * *

A/N: Thanks to the lovely **Suaru-chan** for being my second set of eyes. Oh, and if you haven't yet, you must go read her story All My Love. Two words: Daddy Eric. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.


	4. Chapter 4

Eric's POV

Pam was not too enthusiastic about my going to Bon Temps.

"Eric, you have to be back here in order to start filming Thursday. You get that, right? You _have_ to be here. I can't cover for you, I can't make excuses for you, you have to be here. If you are not here I will kill you. Understand? Kill. You. And I'm not kidding. Don't make me have to go Les Grossman on your ass." _Who's Les Grossman?_

"Right. I'm not coming back without her, Pam. I know Sookie loves me and we belong together. I can't give up on that."

"Love. Eww… I think I liked you better when you were single and unattached." I laugh.

"Is that all I need to do to keep you away, Pam? Mention the word 'love'. Pam repellant. I like the way that sounds. I'll talk about how much I loooooove Sookie more often then. Especially when you piss me off."

"You know I like Sookie. I even consider her a friend. I just don't like how this is going. I'm sure you got that from our other conversation." How could I forget? I think it's what started my drinking binge.

"_This is all over women trouble? Look, I get that you love Sookie but you have to think about what you're doing here. You moved here for your career. She moved here to be with you. What's the problem?"_

"_She can't handle it, Pam."_

"_Then that's her fucking problem. She needs to grow a pair and support you. Doesn't she know how much stress you're under? She's being selfish and I'd be more than happy to tell her for you–"_

"_You might want to walk away now. Seriously."_

"Yeah, I remember our conversation." _I wish I didn't._

"I can still talk to her. If you want."

"No, I don't want. She's upset and I've given her some time to cool off and think about things. Now it's time for me to claim what's mine."

"Well there's the Viking warrior I knew you had in you."

"Shut it, Pam." She always jokes about my Scandinavian ancestry.

"Just have your ass back here in time or don't bother coming back. Stan will be hunting you down himself and once you've pissed him off, he'll make sure you never work again. Seriously, Eric, I hope you get her back. I want you happy and since she makes you happy, blah, blah, blah... Your work suffers when you're in a bad mood and that means I suffer too. If you need anything, let me know. Hell, I'll fly to Bon Temps if you think it would help."

"No, no I can handle it. I can imagine what kind of help you'd offer. I think you'd scare her even more." I laugh at the scowl she gives me. Pam is good at what she does, but she is not a people person. I wouldn't send her to talk to Sookie for me with a prepared speech.

I was excited to get back to Bon Temps. I'd just touched down in Shreveport, checked into my hotel and got my rental car. They only had a white SUV which made me think of a knight on his white steed. That I was not, but it put me in the right state of mind. I was going to win her back and we'd ride off into the sunset to our happily ever after. The drive would give me time to figure out what to say to Sookie. I know it has to be good to get her to come back with me. I tried calling Sookie before I drove to Adele's house but her phone went straight to voicemail–again.

I figure I can try my luck (at least Adele won't turn me away) and see what happens when I show up unannounced. I stop off at a small flower shop to pick up a bouquet of roses for Sookie. I thought about getting her a huge array of flowers, but my Sookie wouldn't like that. Instead, a beautiful pink and white flower catches my eye. The owner tells me they're called stargazer lilies. They are very fragrant and you can probably smell them from a mile away. I knew Sookie would love them. I grab a handful of them and pay for my purchase before dashing off to the Stackhouse abode.

Walking up the front steps of the porch, I get really nervous. I'm not sure why. I'm not the type of guy who gets overcome with nerves but for some reason I felt this wouldn't go well. I take a deep breath in through my nose and blow it out through my mouth. I relax a little and decide to take in another deep breath, which I release on a long exhale and with it my bad nerves. _I can do this_. I knock on the door and await my fate.

"Why, Eric Northman. What are you doing here? Come, give me a hug." As I go to hug Adele, I look down at my hands and realize I've left the flowers in the car. I'm so off my game.

"Hey Gran! How are you? I'm here for Sookie. Can I talk to her?"

"Oh, um you know what, why don't you come on in and I'll get you a cold glass of something to drink. We should talk." I try my best not to worry but Adele's words don't really leave me much choice. I follow her into the old farmhouse, looking things over as we walk through the entryway and into the kitchen.

"So, is she here or…?"

"She's here in Bon Temps but she went out with Jason. She's been… she'll be upset with me for telling you this but this nonsense has to stop. She's been a mess since she got here. She hasn't gotten out of bed in two days. Well, that's why Jason dragged her out of the house tonight, to go to Merlotte's. You remember where that is don't you dear?" She's getting a glass and pouring her infamous sweet tea for me while telling me this.

"I do. I'm sorry to hear she's been so upset but I guess that's a good thing. If she'd come here and was out partying every night, that wouldn't bode well for me, now would it?"

"No, no I guess it wouldn't. Here you are dear." She sets the glass in front of me. I nod my thanks.

We sit in companionable silence for a while. Me watching the glass sweat–the little beads of water running trails over my fingers–and her waiting for me to say something. Finally, I look into Adele's eyes with determination. If anyone can help me, she can.

"Can you tell me what I should do? I've told her I love her, told her how important she is to me, I've done everything I can think of and she still left me. Aside from quitting my job, there's not much more I can do. I'm at a loss."

"I can't tell you what you should do because you'll know when you do it. But, I will tell you this, Eric–she'll get over it. If she really loves you, she'll take you with the good and the bad. She can't possibly hold your job against you considering you were doing it before you two got together. If I know anything, Jason's talking some sense into her. Between you and me, Jason is a lot smarter than people give him credit. If anyone can get through to her, it's him. Sookie's stubborn but I think you two will be fine. She needed the time away from you to see how it feels without you around. She's miserable without you. She doesn't know what to do with herself and I'm not going to beat around the bush here, but it's about time you got here. I was expecting you sooner." I laugh at her candor.

"Trust me, Adele, I would have been here sooner if I could've. I had a contractual obligation to take care of and I left as soon as I was able. I have to leave the day after tomorrow to start shooting a film, though. I've got Sookie a ticket and I hope she'll use it. If she doesn't, I'll be heartbroken but I can't force her to be with me if she's really set against it."

"You stay strong, be the confident man that you are, and talk to her from your heart. If that doesn't work then damn it she doesn't deserve you!" I'd never heard Adele swear before so I know she's upset about this whole thing.

"Thanks for the advice, and the tea. I guess I better go find her."

"You call me to let me know how things turn out. And remember what I said. Sookie's stubborn but don't you give up. She loves you even if she's being an idiot about it."

She stands and walks over to me. I slide my chair back as I get up and am greeted with another one of Adele's famous hugs. "_Gran's hugs are the best," _echoes through my mind. Sookie always told me that if she ever felt sad, she would go to her Gran for a hug and she could make all the pain go away. I hoped she did that for Sookie over these past couple of days. I hoped that now _I_ could make her pain go away.

I think about the speech I had prepared of what I want to tell Sookie and throw it out the window. I'll just speak to her from my heart as Adele suggested. I'm going to claim my woman. With my new resolve, I march up to the door at Merlotte's and push it open with so much force it bounces back off the wall and closes with a slam behind me. The place is so full of people and commotion that no one notices my grand entrance. I glance around the bar seeking out the blonde head of hair that belongs to my Sookie.

When I spot her my heart stops. She looks so beautiful. I can't believe that in the two days we've been apart she's even more stunning to me. She's sitting in a booth near the rear of the bar. I look to her left and see Jason's sitting there but that's not his hand hanging off her shoulder. A low rumble starts in my chest and I'm sure I've growled out loud. The hand wrapped around my Sookie's shoulder belongs to none other than Alcide Herveaux. I know they're friends but not those kinds of friends. I walk over to the table as calmly as I can and clear my throat to get their attention. Everyone turns to look up at me but all I see is Sookie.

"Eric! Eric, what are you doing here?" Sookie looks extremely surprised to see me. Almost as if she doesn't want me here. She moves to get out of Alcide's grasp, I notice.

"I need to talk to you, Sookie. And YOU need to keep your hands off my woman," I spew at Alcide.

"Don't get your panties all in a bunch, Northman. We're having a good time. Why don't you pull up a chair," Alcide says.

"You might want to go talk to him, Sook. He came all this way and you two really need to talk. How's it going, Eric?" I never expected Jason to be the voice of reason here but he is.

"I'm maintaining, Jason. Sookie, please can we go outside?" Alcide leans over and whispers something in her ear with a smirk on his face, and I snap. "Get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. My. Woman! Because if I do it for you, I can assure you, you won't be fucking smiling when I'm done." Alcide stands up and I square of my shoulders to get ready to go head-to-head with him.

"Alcide, sit! Eric, we'll go outside. There's no need to start anything."

Sookie stands and Jason slides out of the booth to let her by. I grab her hand and storm off before I realize what I'm doing. Sookie's trailing behind me and I can't even think straight. I stop when we're far enough away from prying ears and eyes and turn to face her.

"Kom hem med mig. Please? Just come home with me." She doesn't say anything. "Have you even checked your voicemail?"

She shakes her head. I run my fingers through my hair. My nerves are making their appearance again and I can't help but feel hopeless.

"That might be a good thing. Just delete any messages from me. I had a bad night and might have drunk dialed you. I'm pretty sure most of the messages aren't even in English." I laugh to break the tension. "Sookie, come home with me. We can work through whatever issues we face but I love you too much to let this separation continue. Come home with me. To our home. I need you. I miss you. I know you miss me too. Come home. With me." I look at her to gauge her reaction. I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. That was not my intention.

"Please don't cry, sötnos. Just talk to me. Say something. Anything. I need to know you want this… you want me. If you don't then… Shit! I'm not above begging but I shouldn't have to. You know what you mean to me and I won't leave here without you. Where would I be without you?"

* * *

A/N: My thanks to the wonderful **Suaru-chan** for her fabulous beta skills and the lovely **frlarsson** for her knowledge of all things Swedish.

Translations

Kom hem med mig – Come home with me

Sötnos - Sweetie


	5. Chapter 5

Sookie POV

Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Surprised. Speechless.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I just stood there–mouth agape–because I couldn't believe he was here. I managed to pull together a sentence or two in Merlotte's, but out here, with it being just the two of us alone, I couldn't think of a thing to say. I wanted to tell him I missed him. I wanted to scream that I love him and was an idiot, but I didn't say anything. I never thought he'd come after me. I wasn't expecting this. I know he has a movie to shoot in a few days yet, here he is. Does this mean what I think it means? I know he wants me to go back with him and I'll do it in a heartbeat as long as I'm sure. I need to be sure we can do this. I need to be sure I'm ready to be in his life and accept everything that comes along with it. But, I just don't know.

I've been through a lot with the other assholes I've dated and no one thought of me first. It was always me thinking of them. Me making sure they were comfortable. Me making sure they had everything they needed. Me putting up with their changes in attitude. Me changing myself for them. No one has ever taken the time to think about what I needed. Well… except for Eric, because here he is. He flew all this way just for me.

I really don't deserve him.

I try to open my mouth to speak–but again, nothing comes out. So I just listen. Until I can say something, anything so that he knows I love him and I do want him.

"Alcide, is he who you're replacing me with? You know he can't love you like I do. No one can. And if you don't see that, then–"

I close the distance between us and crash my lips to his. _I've missed this_. He holds on to my waist, pulling me closer to him. I need to be closer. I wrap my arms around his neck and legs around his waist–pulling him that much closer to me. I'm ready to climb him like a ladder when he abruptly pulls back and looks me in the eye.

"Sookie…" He doesn't have to say another word and surprisingly I'm able to.

"I've missed you so much. I'm sorry I left the way I did but I just needed to get away. Can you understand that? I love you Eric and I do want you. I want no one else but you, but–"

"If you ever need to get away from life in LA just tell me and I'll be okay with it. But to up and leave like you did, no, I won't be okay with that. I was out of my mind with worry. I didn't know where you were, and you weren't answering my calls. Just promise me you won't do that again."

"I promise. But we need to get some things straight and maybe set some ground rules. I think it will help me and us."

"I'm willing to do whatever you need me to do, Sookie. I just want you with me."

Eric's face changes from a smile to a scowl. He looks so angry and I'm afraid it's because I haven't answered him yet. He unwraps my legs from his waist and I drop my hands from his neck. He pushes past me and I turn around to see where he's going. Alcide has come out of the bar and is approaching us. I run over to Eric to stop him from doing whatever he's thinking of doing. I barely catch up to him before he's face-to-face with Alcide. I put my hand on his arm to ground him and bring him back to me.

"Eric, let's go! We can finish talking at the house."

"Yeah, Eric. You might want to listen to Sookie and leave. You may be a big shot out in Hollywood but here, here you're nothing special." Eric growls. "What, you want a piece of me? You can't handle a real man like me, pretty boy." _Pretty boy?_

"I've always known you were nothing but trouble, Alcide. You know good and damn well Sookie and I are together, yet you choose to hang all over her like she's yours."

"Well, she didn't object. I'm not one to turn a pretty lady away. In fact, she snuggled right up to me–"

Eric moves so fast I almost miss him flinging himself at Alcide. They fall to the ground—Eric on top of Alcide, throwing punches with a fierceness I've never seen from him. Alcide pushes off the ground and sends them both over onto their sides. They begin rolling back and forth, each trying to get the upper hand, until Eric stops them—his knee in Alcide's stomach and his hand colliding with Alcide's face. I yell at them, begging them to stop but they ignore me as if I'm not there. I thought if I didn't get help Eric would kill Alcide. Alcide catches Eric off guard and clips him in the face good. That's when I think of Jason. The blow sends Eric flying backward. Alcide dusts himself off and jumps right onto Eric, repaying his face the same attention Eric had to his. I manage to get around them without getting caught up in the brawl. I run into the bar to get Jason. He can break this up.

Breathless and scared shitless, I find my brother and tug at his arm trying to get him to come with me.

"Jason, you have to help! Eric and Alcide are going to kill each other outside and I can't stop them!"

He hops up and runs for the door. I'm fast on his heels and Sam comes from around the bar to follow us outside. He isn't sure what's going on, but he will find out in a minute. Jason lunges for Alcide to pick him off of Eric. Eric gets up and goes after Alcide, almost knocking him and Jason to the ground. Sam grabs Eric to hold him back, which I didn't think would be possible considering Sam's size, and almost loses his balance pulling Eric away. A few other Merlotte's patrons must have heard the commotion because a crowd forms. Hoyt runs out to assist Sam and Lafayette makes an appearance with the baseball bat from behind the bar. Eric pushes Sam off of him and goes after Alcide again.

"Someone please, stop this!" I scream.

I can't believe what is happening and I know it's all my fault. I shouldn't have come out with Jason. Really, I shouldn't have sat with Alcide. I don't know what I was thinking. I was hurting and upset and thought he could take my mind off things. Boy was I wrong.

Sam and Hoyt finally get a hold on Eric and separates the two men.

"Hope you learned your lesson pretty boy! Sookie, if you ever want a real man, you know where to find me." Alcide pushes away from Jason, heading back into the bar.

"Don't you talk to her rövhål. Sam, Hoyt, let me go so I can kick his ass again!"

"You know I can't do that, Eric. I can't have you fighting on my premises," Sam says.

"Come on Sam! We're outside!"

I'm worried Alcide might try something else and I don't want Eric to get hurt. Although, I think Alcide is the one who's hurt. He limps away holding his left side and is bleeding pretty heavily from a few places. I've never seen Eric in a fight before and I don't think that's something I ever want to witness again. If he was to get hurt because of me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

"Eric, baby, please calm down. Let's just go. I'll go home with you, just please, let's get out of here."

He finally looks at me, his face softening a bit and nods.

"Okay, Sookie. Okay." I grab his arm and he leads me to a white SUV, which has to be his rental. Eric hates four door cars. A chuckle escapes my lips.

"I never thought I'd see you driving one of these."

"Anything for you, my Sookie. I'd do anything for you. I'm sorry I lost my temper, but he had it coming."

I shush him and make sure he climbs into the passenger side. There's no way he can drive anywhere in his condition. His bottom lip is split right down the middle, he has a cut on his forehead and his left eye is a little puffy.

"You were just defending my honor. I appreciate it, but I'd rather you not get hurt. Plus, I don't deserve it. I've been shitty to you the past couple of days and I'm ashamed of myself. I should have tried to handle things differently, but you know how I am sometimes."

"Stubborn," he says with a smile on his lips.

"Yes, stubborn. Now, let's get you home so I can take care of you. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine as long as I'm with you. I think Pam may be pissed when she sees my face though." I forgot about the movie.

"Well, maybe they can start with the action scenes first? You won't need much makeup done to create bruises. I'm sure you'll have plenty of your own." He laughs then winces, holding his lip.

"Yeah, we'll see. So, will you come back with me? I need to know I didn't just somewhat get my ass kicked for nothing."

"You didn't get your ass kicked. _You_ did the ass kicking. Eric?"

"Yes, Älskling?"

"I'm sorry I've made such a mess of things."

"I'm sorry, too. Me too…"

We drive the rest of the way to Gran's in silence. Eric reaches over to hold my hand and I'm warmed by the gesture. We still have a lot to work out, but for right now, I am going to enjoy being with my love and letting him love me.

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A/N:

Translations

Rövhål – Asshole

Älskling - Dearest


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Many, many thanks to **Suaru-chan**. She chatted with me about ideas, one of which is in this chapter, so I have to give her props. She's magic!

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Sookie POV

We make it to Gran's before Jason shows up. I'm so worked up I can't hold onto anything, so Gran takes over tending to Eric's wounds for me. As soon as Jason walks into the kitchen he opens his big mouth.

"Aw, Gran you should have seen it. Eric had Alcide down and was pounding away at him, then Alcide got the upper hand and well, you see Eric's face."

"And just when did you decide to break up the fight? Before or after Alcide got the jump on Eric?"

"Well it wasn't my duty to break it up. I could have gotten hurt too." _Right…_ Of course, he has to relay everything to her while she's working on Eric's face and I am so embarrassed. He's like a damn kid having to tell his grandma about the first fight he's seen. Gran promptly tells him to 'shut it' and sends him on his way. His way being the fridge then a seat on the couch, of course.

"Pam is going to kill me. Ugh, look at my face. Damned Alcide Herveaux."

"I know you're upset young man, but I have to ask you to watch your language."

"Sorry, Gran," he says with a little frown.

"Yeah, I think she might. Alcide got in some good hits and your lip doesn't look too good. Forget about doing anything to that left eye. It's so puffy already. You think we need a steak, Gran?"

"That might help with the swelling, but I don't have one that's not frozen. How about one of those bags of frozen peas? Would you mind getting one dear? And the peroxide from the bathroom?"

"I better call Pam and tell her what's happened so she can flip out on me now instead of later."

"Did you want to wait? I'll be two seconds and I can sit here with you. In case you need support?"

"Sookie, Eric's a grown man. He made his bed and now he has to lie in it. You go get my supplies so I can finish up here and get myself to bed."

I skulk off to grab the bag of peas, peroxide and a few other things while Eric pulls out his phone. I hope he doesn't get yelled at too much, but knowing Pam… I won't hold my breath. On my way back I can hear Gran talking to Eric. She doesn't sound like she's scolding him, but he's getting a tongue lashing all right.

"You should know better than this. Look at your handsome face all bruised and swollen, and because of Alcide Herveaux? Don't you know how much Sookie loves you? She'd never ditch you for that boy no matter what you two are going through. The two of you have really made a mess of things and I for one will not sit by and let this continue. Now, when she comes back in here you kiss her, tell you love her and apologize for being an idiot. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." _I do love Gran…_ I poke my head around the doorjamb so Eric sees me.

"Hey, Sookie. She's not answering her phone. I left her a voicemail so I'm sure she'll be calling me back."

"Don't worry about it. She can't do anything to you from three thousand miles away." I laugh a little. He smiles then winces at the pain.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Sookie, you can handle things from here, can't you?"

"Yes, Gran."

"Okay, then… goodnight. I know you'll make this right young man." She pats Eric on his good hand and winks at him as she walks out of the kitchen. "Jason Stackhouse, goodnight and go home. I don't want to see you back here until breakfast. You hear me boy?"

"Yes, yes I'm going. Goodnight y'all!" The front door shuts loudly behind him. Eric calls my name to get my attention.

"Sookie." He runs his thumb down my cheek. I shove the bag of frozen peas into his free hand.

"Hold this up to your eye. I still need to clean you up a bit. Oh, and just look at your hand. You're knuckles are all busted." _I don't know why I'm so nervous_. "Here, take your shirt off for me. I want to make sure I soak it to get the blood out." I stop cleaning the blood from his hand so that he can stand up. He removes his shirt, slowly and winces a little as he pulls it off his shoulders. I fill the sink with cold water and dab a little at the blood stains with detergent, but I'm not sure if they'll come out. I finally give up and push the shirt into the sink to soak. I get another cotton ball and wet it with peroxide to finish up my handy work.

"Sookie," Eric whispers and I tremble.

I look him over, trying to keep my eyes from staring at his bare chest. I almost forgot how good Eric looks with no clothes on. Damn I've missed him. I bite my bottom lip like he likes. He tightens his grip on my hand and tugs to get me to stop what I'm doing. I slowly look up at him and my breath hitches in my throat. He's watching me with hooded eyes, and I feel a rush warmth spread through my lower body.

Eric is so sexy without even trying. I would love to run my hands over his pecs, and trace the dips between the muscles of his abs, but I'm playing nurse right now. He stands up and leans his body against the countertop. Our hands still connected, he pulls me to him until I am flush with his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair, pulling out my clip. His thumb traces over my lips and I drop the cotton ball I was using on his hand. He smiles at me and pulls my face to his dropping the peas to the floor with a wet thud.

"Sookie, my love."

"Eric," I whisper.

I close my eyes to avoid looking into his. I couldn't focus on what I was doing because of what he was doing to me. He leans forward and presses his lips to mine, so gently I almost didn't feel it. I was worried I'd hurt him, but he seems to be okay. He kisses me again, this time applying a little more pressure. My lips part and his tongue brushes across mine. I feel my knees buckle and Eric wraps his arms around my waist to hold me up. I lean into him a little further and moan into his mouth. He squeezes me tighter and I moan again. The friction of his jeans against my mound causes a delicate ache between my legs. He smiles against my lips before deepening the kiss.

A knock on the door makes me jump back and I hear a familiar voice. _Please, God no!_

"Well hello, Adele. It's so good to see you again." Eric lets out a low hiss.

"William Compton? What are you doing here? You must be visiting your uncle? How is he?"

"Yes, ma'am. He's just fine thank you for asking. I thought I would stop by because I saw the lights were still on. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Well…" She turns to me as I walk into the foyer.

"It's okay, Gran. Hi, Bill." I can be polite.

"S-Sookie. These are for you." He clears his throat and hands me a bunch of stargazer lilies. I love these flowers, but not from him.

"Thank you, Bill. This was very kind of you. You really _shouldn't have_." Those last words may have come out a littler harsher than I intended. I feel a rush of warmth come over me from behind.

Eric stands so close his chest is against my back. He wraps his hand around my hip, rubbing up and down my thigh a little.

"He didn't. I did. He must have taken them out of the car. You would do something like that wouldn't you, you sneaky little—"

"Now, listen here boys. I won't have any more fighting tonight from anyone. Bill, thank you stopping by but I think you should come back in the morning. Eric, you finish letting Sookie clean you up then you two get to bed. I'm going to sleep and I'll be up bright and early to make us all breakfast. Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight, Gran," Eric and I say in unison.

"Goodnight, Adele."

"Okay Bill, see you later. Thanks for stopping by." Eric places a small kiss on my cheek before looking up at Bill. I can't even imagine the daggers Eric is staring into Bill and I'm glad I'm not on that side of his glare.

"Yeah, thanks for stopping by. We won't be upset if you _don't_ show up for breakfast in the morning. Adele was just being kind," Eric all but growls at Bill.

"I _will_ see you in the morning. Goodbye, for now." Ugh! I turn to head back into the kitchen with Eric close behind me.

"Well, I better put this stuff away. I want to take a shower before bed. I'll um…"

"Sookie, if he hadn't interrupted us, where would we be right now?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Eric."

"I think I do, too. And now?"

"Now, I'm tired and want to go to bed. We'll talk more tomorrow and decide what to do then. I have a lot to think about. And packing to do." I wink. Eric smiles.

I take his hand—carefully—and lead him back to the bathroom.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: **Morrigan28** thought it would be great if Pam showed up on the war-path. Well, so did I and here she is. This chapter hops back and forth between Sookie and Eric's POV a bit. It's necessary and hopefully not too confusing. A huge fricking thank you to my love, **Suaru-chan**. I'm telling you, she helped me get this done because I was at a loss. She's the awesomest! (Yes, I know that's not a word, LOL) xoxo

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**Sookie POV**

After the night Eric and I had, I was set to take on anything. I roll over to see him still sound asleep next to me. I don't want to wake him but Gran is already up so I know breakfast will be ready soon. I stretch to work out the kinks in my sore body and Eric pulls me into him. I guess he wasn't asleep like I thought. He kisses me softly on the mouth before rolling out of bed. I take a moment to admire the gorgeous man in front of me. We know each other well enough that just one glance conveys all we're feeling. He leans over me, kissing me on the forehead, before pulling on his pants and gathering his things for the bathroom. He leaves to get showered and I climb out of bed to start packing. The door to my bedroom isn't closed all the way and the sound of running water from the shower takes me back to last night.

_We walked silently to the hall bathroom, no words needed to be said. The look on Eric's face told me all I needed to know. He wanted me. Me and no one else. The light flicked on with an audible click and I laughed. Eric jumped. He was surprised by the sound. I guess I hadn't laughed in quite a while. I pulled him to me so I could close the door behind us. I was pretty sure Gran was out for the night but I didn't want to chance her walking into the hall to see what was going on. Eric quickly divested me of my clothing while I tried to get the shower going._

"_Eager are we?" I asked him._

"_Always for you, lover."_

"_Kiss me."_

_He traced my lips with his finger before brushing them with his in a tender kiss. His tongue ran along my bottom lip and I gripped his shoulders tighter as he pulled me to him, deepening the kiss. I ran my hands up his neck into his hair, tugging just the way he likes. He groaned into my mouth and pulled my bottom lip in between his teeth. He nibbled his way down my chin, my neck, over to my shoulder. He reached out to turn on the shower and the steam billowed out around us in a matter of minutes. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor. I attacked the button of his jeans and we both pushed them down his legs. He grabbed the sides of my face, pulling me into another toe-curling kiss. A moan crossed my lips and he grunted, picking me up and stepping us into the shower._

_The warm water shocked me when it hit me and I arched my back, pushing my breasts into Eric's torso. He groaned and continued kissing his way down my neck to my breasts. Taking one nipple into his mouth, he rolled his tongue around it, flicking at the hardened nub. I gripped his hair again, harder that time, holding his head in place. He dropped a hand from my leg and snaked it up my thigh. I didn't want him to stop._

"_Oh, Eric, yes… I missed you so much."_

"_Don't ever leave me again, Sookie."_

"_Never..." _

_I couldn't utter but a single word in reply because he slid into me, filling me completely and my breath caught in my throat. With each thrust he claimed me. His hands dug into my hips and mine into his back. I held on for dear life because he was sliding in and out of me hard and fast. Our moans and grunts turned into chants of our love for one another. Eric's were in Swedish, French and Spanish. I don't think he realized he was speaking anything other than English. The moment he lifted my leg to go deeper, I lost it. I think whatever I screamed wasn't English at all, but it didn't matter. We held onto one another as we both came down from our release and knew all was right with the world. _

The knock on the bedroom door pulls me from my reverie.

"Sookie, breakfast is ready. Let Eric know will you? I'm setting the table in the dining room for five."

"Okay, Gran. We'll be right there."

Last night was magic. I can't even get over how great it felt to be held by Eric again, to be kissed and touched. He always knows the things to do to drive me crazy. How stupid have I been? How could I have run away from him like I did? I got scared. I've never had a relationship like the one I have with Eric. He means so much to me that I can't… I won't be able to function should something happen between us. I need him so much, but he's only one man. He gets pulled in so many different directions that I only get one tiny piece of him to myself. I think I expressed that to him last night after our shower and repeated lovemaking sessions throughout the night. So, I'm packing my things. I'm pushing my insecurities aside knowing that Eric wants me. He needs me as much as I need him. I may have to share him and that's okay. I can do it. As long as I know he's mine and I am his. We talked about getting a house together. A place of our own. I wonder if Eric would want to get a dog?

**Eric POV**

I can't believe she's packing her bags. I thought for sure I'd have to work a hell of a lot harder than I did to get her to come to her senses. This is what I wanted. Last night is what I needed. We reconnected, we talked, we loved one another. It was everything it should have been. And now she's packing her things to come home with me. To my home.

Our home.

I know her issues, I know things may be hard for her at first, but we'll work through them. We'll get past the difficult stuff because we love each other enough. I take a glance at myself in the mirror and cringe. My eye is still puffy, but it doesn't look nearly as bad as it did yesterday. My hand still hurts like a mother. I only regret my actions because Sookie could have gotten hurt in the process. I needed to let off some steam and Alcide was just the outlet I used to do it.

I step out of the bathroom and hear Sookie talking to someone. I peek around the doorjamb to see Pam. When the fuck did she get here? I know she's seen me so I pull my tee shirt over my head and go to face my doom.

Walking out to the living room, I stop just before I can get to the foyer because Pam explodes off the couch and gets right in my face. This is not how I saw this morning going. Before I can say good morning, she starts in on me about this and that.

"... I get this cryptic message from you and now I show up to see your face is a mess. What the hell were you thinking?" She turns to Sookie with narrowed eyes and sneers. "Thanks a lot Sookie for taking care of your man. I swear if he didn't love you I'd—"

"You'd what, Pam? Don't ever think you can threaten Sookie. If you're upset with me, be upset with me. This isn't her fault."

She hasn't taken her eyes off Sookie. I step into her line of sight to get her to look at me. She turns to face me but not before glaring at Sookie like she's gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"The fuck it isn't. You wouldn't be here had she not run away. Don't think I don't know what's going on here. You need to pull your head out of your ass and come back to L.A., like now. I can't take this stress and I sure don't get paid enough to deal with it. Your love life is _not_ my priority. You are, and I need you to come back with me―tonight."

"I'm not going back without Sookie, so you'll have to deal."

"I figured as much. Are you coming back Princess? Do I have to beg?" She asks with a pout and her hands folded in front of her like she's… begging.

"Cut the dramatics, Pam!"

"It's okay, Eric. No, Pam, you don't have to beg. Eric and I talked last night and I'm going back with him. As a matter of fact, I just finished packing my bags. I want to be with him and I know that means taking everything that comes along with his career, too. Right baby?"

"That's right my love. We'll be okay as long as you talk to me and let me know how you're feeling."

"Aww... isn't that precious. I'm so glad we got that all cleared up. Now, what is that heavenly aroma? I'm starving."

"Breakfast is ready if you'd care to join us, Pam. The dining room's right this way." I hold out my hand like the gentleman I am, to point her in the right direction. Sookie glances over at me and rolls her eyes. I stifle a chuckle and she jabs me in the ribs. I grab my side and feign being hurt, although I am still sore from yesterday's activities. This is definitely going to be an interesting morning.

**Sookie POV**

Once we get into the dining room, Eric pulls me to him and holds me close. I poke my head under his arm and blow a raspberry at Pam. It's childish, I know, but she's such a bitch. And she deserves it. Someone knocks on the door and I hear Gran moving toward the living room to see who it is. I have no idea who it is, but they can't be someone who comes by very often since they're using the front door.

Gran comes back to the dining room with a package for me and Jason strolls in through the kitchen with a biscuit in hand. I swear he just can't wait to eat. I'm surprised I didn't hear his truck roaring as he pulled up to the house. He gives Gran a hug and she snatches the biscuit away from him. With that distraction out of the way, he looks around the room and stares right past me to my arch nemesis. As soon as he spots Pam, his eyes light up and he pulls at his belt buckle as if that makes him appear more attractive. I roll my eyes and shove my package under my seat.

"Well, well… who's this pretty lady here?"

"Good mornin', Jase. Nice to see you, Jase. Oh, we're doin' fine, thanks so much for askin'." I start dropping my g's whenever Jason pisses me off. He always knows how to bring it out of me.

"Sorry Sook, but you know how I get when I see something I like." He winks at her and she winks back. What. The. Hell?

"I'm Pam, Eric's publicist and ass-kicker."

"Well it's nice to meet you. I'm this rude girl's older brother, Jason."

I turn to look at Eric and his face mirrors mine. Shock. Horror. Awe. Gran walks back into the kitchen, laughing the whole way. I get up to join her and help her set some of the food out on the table. She's definitely outdone herself this time. Biscuits, sausage, eggs, grits, jam and she's still making something else. How many people did she think were coming to breakfast? My stomach growls just looking at everything. Eric comes into the kitchen looking for the coffee pot. I point him in the direction of the carafe and he fills it before bringing it to the dining room table. Jason and Pam are huddled at their end of the table gabbing away and piling food onto their plates. I bet neither one of them said grace. _Typical_.

I look over at Eric and he smirks. We shrug and dig into the biscuits Gran's just put on the table. Someone else knocks on the door and I get up to answer it. I have to get away from Pam's evil glare. I swear if she had laser beams shooting out of her eyes I'd be toast by now. I'm not prepared for this day at all.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Don't you look as lovely as a summer day?"

"What do you want, Bill? I thought you understood that you shouldn't show your face here again?"

"I didn't get that impression from Adele. Is she here? I'm sure she'd welcome me in with open arms. I'm not so sure about your southern hospitality, young lady. You've been out in the big city for too long."

"You son of a―"

I feel someone grip my shoulder. "Well good morning Mr. Compton. Won't you come in and join us for some breakfast?" _Gran._

"I'd be delighted. Thank you, Adele."

"Oh, you know it's no problem. You'll have to excuse Sookie this morning. She's a bit of a grump but it's not her fault. But don't you be hassling her either or I'll promptly throw you out on your tail."

"Yes ma'am." Bill smiles sweetly but as soon as Gran has her back turned he rolls his eyes as if to say her warning doesn't scare him.

I narrow mine at him and flip him the bird. He walks past me, a finger grazing my arm as he makes his way toward the others. I slam the door shut behind him, stomping all the way back to the table. Gran leads Bill into the dining room and he sits down right across from me. Of course he would. He smiles at everyone, says hello and glares at Eric like he's riddled with leprosy. This should be interesting. Having Bill so close to me makes my skin crawl. I should tell Eric he touched my arm just to see what he does. But I don't. I've seen enough fights for one week.

Gran shoots me a look before heading back into the kitchen. It's her "You be nice or else" look and I bite my tongue. Bill and I never really hung out that much when we were younger, but he always seemed to show up wherever I happened to be. Just like this morning. I'm not sure how he managed it, but he did. I had an inkling to ask him about it but I didn't get the chance to say anything. Bill looks across the table at me, practically leering. I can almost anticipate what he's going to say, but it's worse than I thought.

"You have quite the lovely tan, Sookie. I take it you had time to lay out in the yard since you've been back." His eyes slowly graze over my neck down to my breasts and I instantly regret wearing a tank top.

I chance a glance at Eric already knowing he's staring daggers into Bill.

Yup. Eric glowers at Bill, lips pulled back so his teeth are bared in a snarl. "Ge fan i att glo. Du kan bara drömma om att få se henne het och vrida sig av vällust."

I have no idea what he's saying but I feel the need to both be grateful and hit him for being possessive of me. I'm sure it was a threat of some sort.

"Jason, you and your sister come help me get the rest of this food from the kitchen!" Gran yell. She doesn't need help. We're in for a lecture. Jason gives me a look before sighing and getting up from the table. She gives me a pointed gaze as soon as I step into view. I walk over to her and wait patiently for whatever she has to say.

"Sookie, I know you don't want Bill here, but you will be cordial. It's how I raised you. Jason Stackhouse, you will stop flirting with that woman at my dining room table or so help me...!"

"Yes ma'am," we say in unison. Jason rolls his eyes thinking Gran doesn't see him. I have to stifle my laughter when the "whack" of her hand against the back of his head catches me off guard.

"I may be old, but I ain't blind. Now here, carry these pancakes to the table."

Jason rubs the back of his head but doesn't say a word. Once we get back to the dining room, I can't stop the snicker that slips through my lips and Jason glares at me.

"What? If she'd done that to me you would have laughed in my face," I tell him.

I poke my tongue out at him. I didn't notice before but the tension in the room has escalated. Eric's gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles are white, Bill has a creepy smirk on his face, and Pam, well… she looks bored. Before I can ask what's going on, Gran comes to sit down with a plate of bacon. _Bacon too?_ We all dig in and conversation ceases for a minute or two.

"So, Eric, you're some kind of actor or something?" Bill asks.

"Or something? Where do you live, under a fucking rock?"

"Pam!" I yell.

"Ms. Ravenscroft, I'm not sure how you were taught to behave at a table, but in my house, you will watch your language." I really want to laugh. The look on Pam's face is priceless. She got her first reaming out by Gran and I'm a witness. Dammit! Where's my camera when I need it?

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stackhouse."

"That's okay, dear. You're allowed one time. But that's it. And please, call me Adele." Jason reaches across the table to pat Pam's hand in reassurance. I roll my eyes.

_KnockKnockKnock!_

Now who could that be? I look over at Jason and he shrugs. Gran moves to get the door, but I rush out of the room before she can slide her chair back.

Alcide.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Morning, Sookie. I wanted to drop by and apologize for my behavior last night. I shouldn't have acted the way I did and well, I'm sorry."

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Not only was he apologizing, but he seemed sincere. He looked worse than Eric, that's for sure. His left eye is swollen shut and purple, and his bottom lip is split right down the middle. I feel like this is all my fault and I reach out to him to invite him in. He did apologize after all, but it's not me he needs to apologize to.

"I accept your apology, Alcide, but you should also apologize to Eric." His eyes widen at the mention of Eric's name.

"Is he here?" I nod. "Maybe some other time then, Sook. I should get going." _Hmm…_

"You sure don't want to come in for a cup of coffee or a biscuit?" I was fucking with him and he didn't even know it.

"No, I'm sure. Tell your Gran hi for me—" I shut the door in his face before he can even finish his sentence. One down, one more to go. Everyone turns their attention to me as I walk into the room.

"Who was that dear?" Gran asks.

"Oh, it was just Alcide."

"Alcide Herveaux? Man I ought to go kick his butt for showing up here after that stunt he pulled last night."

"It's not necessary, Jason. He just dropped by to apologize for starting a fight with Eric."

"Wait, the guy who did this to Eric's face is here?" Pam bolts from her seat faster than I can blink. She flies out the door and the next thing I hear is Alcide yelling through the open door.

"You bitch! FUCK!"

Pam saunters back into the dining room, sits in her chair and folds her hands on her lap. She looks like the cat that ate the canary.

"Pam, what'd you do?" Eric asks.

"Oh nothing. Just my job."

"Pam!" She rolls her eyes at Eric.

"He deserved it."

"What. Did. You. Do?" Eric asks again biting out each word. We're all chomping at the bit and she just smiles, twirling her hair around her finger.

"I kicked him in the baby makers. Twice."

"Ouch!" Jason exclaims, clutching at his pants for added effect.

Gran laughs. I haven't heard her laugh so loud in a long time. The woman who doesn't like violence is cracking up after Pam admits to kicking Alcide in the nuts. There's no lecture, no scolding, just laughter. She's holding her side and slapping the table. I figure I can as well and let it rip. Eric gets up from the table and heads outside. I don't know what he's going to do but I'm laughing so hard I can't find it in me to care. Bill shakes his head in disapproval while trying to hide his smirk. Eric comes back awhile later and sits quietly to the table. He doesn't even look at me when I kick his foot to get his attention. Guess I'll have to wait until later to find out the deets. Gran clears the dishes from the table and Eric stands to help her. Once they leave the room I turn to Bill to ask him to leave. But, Pam beats me to the punch.

"So Bill, Eric tells me you used to stalk Sookie as a teenager?"

Jason looks up from his plate and looks to Bill for his answer.

"What? Sookie, you don't believe that do you? Who is this woman anyway?" Bill asks.

"That shit better not be true or I'll kick your ass, Bill Comption. Gran ain't in the room now." Gotta love my big brother.

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself, Bill. How do you know I lay out in the yard to tan? I do that in the back where no one can see." His face blanches.

"Well, I... uh, um..." He stammers. Jason slides his chair over, and leans into Bill's chair getting close to his ear.

"Save it asshole. When you step outside that door, your ass is mine." Bill looks over at me for help and I smirk at him. Serves him right. He looks between the three of us and I swear I can see fear in his eyes. He has to be thinking about how he arrived here just fine, but may not leave the same way, especially if Jason has anything to say about it. Gran can't save him now. Bill's eyes widen and I turn to see what has grabbed his attention.

"So what did I miss?" Eric asks walking back into the room.

"Turns out this sick fucker likes to watch my sister in the privacy of her own backyard."

"Yeah, Eric. 'Farmer Bill' here is a peeping, stalking pervert. He gets his jollies off watching your girl worship the sun." Bill glares at Pam and she blows him a kiss.

"You know, I think I should go." He starts to push his chair back and Jason grabs the back of his it, halting his progress.

"I'll see _you_ later." Jason winks at him and Bill scurries off without another word.

Eric looks like he's about to launch himself across the table but I put my hand on his arm to calm him down.

"If I had known it would be that easy to get rid of him, I would have spoken up sooner," Pam says.

"Thanks, Pam. I owe you one."

"Actually, Sookie... you owe me two. Don't forget about the guy who's nuts I just mangled." She laughs. Eric puts his arm around me and pulls me into his side. He kisses the top of my head and turns me to face him.

"Is there something I should know, Sookie?"

"About Bill?" _As if I don't know who he's talking about._

"Yes. He's been watching you while you were here?"

"I don't know. Don't worry about him. We're out of here today anyway."

"How can I not worry about him? If he's bothering you, it's my duty as your boyfriend to do something about it."

"No fighting, Eric. I'm here now, I can take care of that douche for you." Pam says while licking her lips at Jason. Eww...

"There is no need for anyone to do any fighting. I'll go get my bags and we can head to the airport now. We don't have dilly-dally since Eric needs to get back in time to shoot his movie tomorrow."

"Yeah, about that. You need any extras in this film? I do okay with the ladies. I don't think it would hurt to have another pretty face in your flick." When did Jason get so bold?

"No, Jason. Go put your pretty face in someone else's movie," I laugh.

"Well, maybe we can work something out. What do you think, Eric?" I'm beginning to think Pam just wants to piss me off as much as possible.

"I'll leave it up to you, Pam," Eric says.

I sigh and stand up from the table. I grab my package as I walk into the kitchen to check on Gran. She's sitting at the kitchen table patting down her face with a tissue.

"Gran, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing child. I'm just so happy you worked things out with Eric. He's such a sweet boy. I know you two will be happy together and I'm looking forward to coming out to visit you."

"That's why you're in here crying?"

"Yes. That's it. Now, go get your bags and we'll have Jason drive you to the airport."

Eric comes to stand beside me.

"There's no need, Adele. Pam got a car big enough for the three of us. I just wanted to thank you again for your hospitality. I really do appreciate you letting me stay here and taking care of my Sookie." He winks at her. _What is that about?_

"Come here and give me a hug, the both of you." She gives us both a squeeze before telling us to 'get a move on'. _And here I thought she missed me_. I give her a big smile and kiss on the cheek before turning to leave the kitchen.

Eric goes to my bedroom to collect our bags. I place my package into my purse to open later. After we say our goodbyes, we climb into the beast of a rental Pam has. I wonder if she thought we lived on a dirt road that turned into some kind of four-wheeling track. She seems quite pissed when Eric climbs into the backseat with me. I smile at her in the rearview mirror and proceed to remind myself how good a kisser Eric is the entire ride to the airport.

* * *

A/N:

Translations

Keep your fucking eyes to yourself. You only wish you could see her bare body flushed and writhing in pleasure.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** First two sections are Eric's thoughts from previous chapter. last section is when they finally arrive back in L.A. Just as a reminder, Eric came to Bon Temps after Sookie to try to win her back. He gets into a fight with the sexy Alcide Herveaux after seeing him sitting a little too close to Sookie at Merlotte's. She takes Eric home to clean him up and they reunite. Next day over breakfast, they get drop-ins from Pam, Bill and Alcide, whom Pam laid out. They all run Bill from the house and Sookie, Pam and Eric hop on a plane back to L.A. Gotta say thank to my lovey **Suaru-chan** for looking this over for me. xoxo

* * *

I had to see it for myself. Pam's threatened to junk-punch me once or twice and I never doubted she'd do it, but Alcide's a big guy like me. If she got him on the ground, I better watch my back. Actually, I think I'll start sending her flowers.

I walk outside to find him curled up on the ground in the fetal position. His face is in a permanent grimace, his arms are crossed in front of his chest and his knees look like they're attached to his chest. She must have put some power behind her kick because he looks really hurt. Plus, she's wearing pointy heels. I bite back a chuckle, then say what the hell. He deserved it.

"Hey, you all right there, man? Can I get you an ice pack?" I can't help laughing at the screwed up expression on his face.

"Did you sic that crazy bitch on me? You're lucky I don't sue your ass." He's panting and struggling to talk through the pain. Yeah, I'm really threatened by his words.

I walk over to him and bend down close enough for him to hear me. "No, you're lucky I don't call that crazy bitch out here again to finish you off. And watch your mouth when you're talking about someone I love."

"Oh, someone you love? You let women handle your fights for you?"

"I think you know the answer to that. For someone who just got his ass handed to him by a woman, you sure do have a lot to say. I'd be eating some humble pie right about now."

"Fuck you, asshole! If you knew what Sookie needed, she wouldn't have sidled up to me like she was looking for a good man."

"No, see that's where you got things wrong. I love Sookie. She loves me and nothing will change that. Yeah, we had a little hiccup and she ran into you, but trust me, there's no fucking way she'd think about being with you."

"That's why she was with me the other night? Right, pretty boy?"

He's really starting to piss me off but I keep my cool. "And what happened to you? Every time you look in the mirror this week, you'll remember how that night ended. I was willing to give you a break since you came to apologize, but now... If I catch you back here again I won't go as easy on you as Pam did. Now get the fuck out of here!"

He struggles to get to his feet with a grunt and eventually crawls over to his truck. He looks back at me with venom in his eyes, and I wave him off. I cannot wait to get back to L.A.

* * *

"So, what are your intentions with my granddaughter?"

"Um, I want to marry her." I wasn't expecting Adele to come right out with it, but she's not a woman who beats around the bush.

"Oh, Eric! Have you talked to her about it? Does she know yet?"

"No. I want to surprise her. I was thinking when we get out to L.A. we'll start house shopping. I think, once we find the one, I'll ask her then. Maybe when we move in. Do you think she'd like that?" I look over at her while she hands me another dish to rinse.

"Oh, I think she'll love whatever you do. I'm so happy for you two. Sookie loves you so much and she needs you. I know you can keep her grounded. I'm just happy I won't have to worry about her being so far away. And I'll get to come visit." She squeezes my free hand and smiles at me.

"Yes, you can visit whenever you want to. We'd love to have you."

We continue washing and rinsing dishes in companionable silence. Every now and again I glance behind me into the dining room, trying to catch a glimpse of Sookie. I hear her laughter floating through the room and I smile on impulse. I do wonder what Adele meant by Sookie needing me. I never thought of Sookie as a needy person. She's always been pretty independent and self-assured. As I turn to ask her, I notice we're done with all the dishes and Adele is already pushing me out of the kitchen to join the others. She takes a seat at the table and waves me off. The huge smile she's wearing lets me know she's okay. I give her a quick hug and know I'm walking into something when I get back to the dining room. I really can't wait to get Sookie home.

* * *

Once we get home, I throw our bags into our bedroom and settle on the couch with Sookie. She pulls something out of her purse and is hunched over it when I sit down next to her. I don't question Sookie much about the package she's fondling, but I would like to know what it is. She seems hesitant to open it and her fidgeting with it increases as the seconds tick by.

"Why don't you open it? I'm sure you'll feel better once you know what it is."

"It's from my parents." I have to strain to hear her, her voice is so low.

"Is that a bad thing?"

She looks at me with a scowl.

"I'm missing something, aren't I? If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

"It's not that, Eric, I just… my parents are a touchy subject. I don't think I ever told you how I ended up living with Gran."

"No, I can't remember if you did. In fact, I don't remember you talking about your parents much at all. Not even in high school." She smiles at me but it quickly fades into a frown.

"I don't talk about them because they're um… they left us. Me and Jason. They just up and left one day. Apparently their careers were more important than raising their two kids. No wait, as _they_ explained it in a detailed letter left for Gran, they didn't 'think they could handle having two kids and working at the same time.' I really resented them for a long while after that. Gran tried talking to us about it but I couldn't understand how they could just leave us to pursue their careers. I mean, how selfish is that?" She gets up and starts pacing the room. "They're fucking journalists for crying out loud! They travel to exotic locales chasing the next big story or whatever the hell they do. I don't even know. I don't care. I don't even want to open this because it's probably just another slap in the face. We get birthday cards and that's about it. That's the only time I hear from them. I'm sorry for dumping this on you."

I reach out to take her hand and pull her onto my lap. She drops the package onto the coffee table and runs a hand through my hair. Now I understand her reluctance to stay here—to stay with me. The attention, the spotlight, it's all a reminder to her of what her parents did to her and her brother. Why she didn't just tell me that to begin with is a mystery.

"No, don't apologize. I'm here for you, to listen. You can tell me anything, you know that. Don't ever feel like you can't come to me with something you feel is important." I tuck a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, and she nods.

"I know but I don't want to just spit a bunch of bullshit at you. I'm sick of being mad at them and sick of being left behind…"

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Alcide was rolling around on the ground for a while crying like a baby. Pam really did a number on him."

She tries hard not to laugh, but a giggle or two slips out. I pull her closer to my chest, nuzzling her neck, my lips tracing the delicate lines of her collar bone. She shivers and moans into my ear. I run my hands up and down her back and she snuggles closer to me. She's finally relaxing and I take the time to mull some things over.

I think I've figured out what our issue is. She thinks I would abandon her because of my career. She doesn't say it in so many words, and I'm not even sure if she's realized it yet. Granted, I'm not in the same field as her parents, but it's just as high profile. I travel, I'm away from home and busy all the time. Seeing things from her perspective sheds new light on our relationship. And now that I know what to avoid, I'll do everything in my power to make sure she never feels that way again.

"I think we should look for a house. Like right away."

She stiffens in my arms and sits up a bit. "Really? You want to get a house? We never really talked about that. _And_ I thought you loved this apartment."

I smooth my hand across her jaw, tilting her chin up so that our eyes meet. "I love you, Sookie. I want you to know that I won't ever abandon you like that. I won't choose my career over us. You are my everything and I want to prove that to you. So, first thing on the docket is to get a house. It'll be our place—not just my apartment, but a place for us to call ours. I want you to feel like you belong there and that I want you with me. I want you to be comfortable wherever we live. And, if we do a little house hunting, maybe you'll warm up to the city."

She nods her head and smiles, peppering my face with kisses. I pull her back into my embrace and rock her a little. I'm excited at the prospect of us starting a new chapter in our lives.


End file.
